Weathering Storms

by Taborri Walker

  Sesh dear, this planet is not part of the Alliance! Don’t you realize that all of the laws will be against your actions and it is doubtful even the Amnesty Group will be able to help?

  Shni, Gem, my friend… all my life I lived only for me. Even the job… I left family and friends to dust years ago so I could live longer, experience more, get money and see new places. Even shopping for the Uppers was just fun for me. I pretended everything was for me and it was marvelous. Even TravelSleep… Almost pure pleasure! Now I have a reason to help others and by all the Deities anyone ever believes in – except this one – I’m going to do something to help them!

  That’s what I thought you’d say. Shni’s smile was sweet. Now dear… I think there’s a problem, the same one we saw the first day here.

  More beatings?

  It’s the seventh day, and I’ve heard talk from the women that two boys are to be beaten; they were wrestling around while bathing in the ocean and fell on top of one another. This foremost Monitor, some sort of Officer, accused them of man lying with man, a particularly heinous sin with these folk.

  Damn… so, ideas? Since I’ve been out of it…

  I’ll have your body begin to wake up… almost everyone is in the largest building, some kind of religious meeting. Then it’s mid-day meal and after that, the punishment phase. So you’ll sigh more, get the doctor’s attention.

  They have a doctor?

  A woman, Florence. I told you how much the Rev hates her. She’s on duty now and she’s sharp-minded. Do a little moaning, I’ll keep your eyes closed. You’ll lapse in and out of deeper unconsciousness; and when the beating begins, start to cry, toss just a little. Alarm them. When you react – and you have a couple times – they holler out the window for the other, who is the Preacher’s wife. That should disrupt today’s beating.

  You the Man, Shni. Start now?

  A minute later Florence looked up from her sewing. This was her everyday chore even when in confinement as she was so good and speedy at it. It was fine with the Physician, for it kept her fingers first-rate on flesh stitching. She also braided fine line and tied several different flies for fishing, catching the huge fish from the ocean, using feathers, horse hair and bugs brought to her. And she cleaned and stitched very many wounds when the fishermen would come get their supplies.

  The child had sighed, a deeper one and watching, Florence saw her turn her head some. The lately released dislocated arm, the shoulder having recovered, moved some too. The sewing was dropped and Florence knelt by the front of the bed and observed the face of her patient.

  It was twitching some, scrunching as if fear were trying to take hold of her mind, so Florence gently stroked her cheek.

  “Child, you are safe,” she cooed, and when the door opened to admit her next set of helpers, they were cautioned to silence, but to come. “Open your eyes, dear girl,” but the rise of wakefulness stopped and Sesha dropped back into sleep. “Let’s turn her over, Ruth. Hanna, set our food down there, run down to the kitchen and make her thin soup, that’s my girl.”

  Sesha was now put on an incline, her back newly coated with the lotion and shortly warm soup was being poured in her mouth, her throat stroked to make her swallow.

  To Sesha, still mostly trapped in her mind, it was an odd sensation. A memory rose, unbidden, of a world and a party where the Being’s loved giving pleasure; part of the orgasm was the ultimate act of allowing them to tend to literally everything concerning your body. This, though, was far different.

  Ow, Sesha realized suddenly her stomach now hurt, fairly badly.

  Uh, oh, Gem held her close, his amber eyes flickering as he and the computer talked. It is the meat used in the food. Your body rejects it each time, dear, you’re going to puke soon. Just go with the flow, don’t fight it. Seems to be the four-legged varieties you lose. Hope they figure that out soon.

  But Sesha’s body just had to be contrary and the ache drug out. Shni toned her mental feeling down and then cautioned her.

  It’s starting.. hear that? Don’t do a lot for the first time, but enough that they have to call for Beulah.

  Who?

  The Reverend’s wife.

  Outside a booming male voice resounded despite cries of denial, so Sesha let out a short, sharp whimper, scrunched her eyes and moved her head a bit.

  The room was instantly silent, then there were hands on her face.

  The shouting continued, the cries turned from words to just noises of terror and Sesha jerked, her breath changing to fast, ragged pants. The screaming hit a high volume and it seemed to the women caring for their mystery patient that she went into seizure.

  “Beulah!” Florence stuck head and shoulders out the window and bellowed too. “the Eanling hath great distress! Come now!” She saw the scene and pulled in. “That great Jack hath both boys suspended by wrists; they are to be jaded together for no more reason --” She was interrupted by the sounds of the whips cracking, the children’s screams and Sesha allowed herself to whimper more, weak hands clawing at her throat, the seizure worsening. Back out the window the doctor went. “Grace, Sarah, thou also! Hurry!

  That did it. The women’s feet could be heard, but above that, the voice of the Reverend.

  “Cease! Thou, young Richard, shalt spend a full day in the sewer where thou shalt contemplate the foulness of thy deed, and thou, young Stephen, shalt likewise in the forge where the heat shall remind thee of the Fires of Hell! Confine them to the cage,” and then he too was hurrying, all his Monitors after him.

  Sesha continued her seizures as the weeping of the boys still could be heard; one blow was all they’d received but that, coupled with the terror of such vile punishment over something so normal was more than their minds could bear. And without anyone around to naysay, the lads were carried off to their homes instead.

  The three women burst into the room, bonnets flying, hands laying on her to help.

  “Pull the bolsters, she need be flat,” Florence ordered, and a wail/sob broke from Sesha’s dry, wrinkled lips as they moved her so quickly. Heavy footfalls announced the men and she shook worse, eyes rolling under lids, hands spasming.

  “What? What?” Peter Allway roared, still in his full-vocal mode.

  “Be silent!” Beulah snapped and startled, they did. “Mayhap be terrified from the noise outside. Keep in thy memory she hath been cruelly scathed. Oh – towel!” for now Sesha’s stomach couldn’t handle it anymore and she vomited.

  Hands held her gently while she evicted the mess, murmurs for water-wet cloth sounded dully on her ears.

  “Disgusting,” a deeper, snarling voice spoke out.

  “If thou be dribbling and queasy, Monitor Hosea, get out!” Beulah’s voice was wrathful.

  “The lass be mortal?” Allway asked after footfalls went down and out.

  “Nay… her mind chance be quickening, for upon hearing the punishment, began weeping,” Florence, having been there, answered. “Louder it was’t, worse she be. Also,” there was a pause. “What meat be used in yesterday’s soup for today’s consumption?”

  “Deer,” Grace answered.

  “The lass doth not keep this,” Florence dropped the towel in a bucket to be rinsed, then washed. “Be it fish broth and few roots and vegetives, she hath no problem. Chicken, turkey hath some loss, not so much. This would account for her pale blood, skin and eyes. Not all nations on God’s Earth doth eat same animal flesh; perchance she be unable to. Hanna, please to fetch juice from the apple; it be all we can feed her today.”

  “Wherefore?” Allway asked.

  “’Tis the Sabbath, holy unto the Lord. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.’ Is not the Doctrinal Confession hung upon the Church walls? Wherein shall we feed our shipwrecked soul, then, as she cannot keep what was prepared yester’e’en?” Florence
managed to keep her tone calm, questioning.

  “Aye… but the Confession doth state that ‘duties of necessity and mercy’ may be performed. The cows be milked, eggs gathered, and the God of Mercy dids’t know this bairn would be cast upon our shore.” Allway turned and opened the door. “Monitor Gideon, I bid thee hear what the Leech and Righteous Lady hath to message to the cooks, and bid them perform the Duty of Mercy this day, and any Sabbath needed, an’ the child live.”

  The Monitor stepped in; he had a cruel face, a scar that ran from his temple, nicking the side of his eye, to his nose as well which lent an even nastier look, one he did nothing to conceal.

  “A fish and root of potato and carrot only must be souped quickly, but well-done, made thin. Let the roots be mashed and blended as we woulds’t to begin feeding babes. Grammarcy, Monitor,” Florence took lead; it was still her shift. “And thou, Reverend. The child must have quiet now an’ she woulds’t recure.”

  Well, the foment has started, Shni smiled at the tired Sesha.

  I was thinking, Shni, Sesha sighed deeply in her mind, feeling the throb of her arm where they had to hold her. It was still tender from the surgery to remove the bit, that I’m going to need more of your assistance here… in their minds I have pretty severe injuries, right?

  Correct,

  Well then, I’ll have to be this way say, several days. Rising consciousness, lapsing back, reacting to what goes on in the camp. And not just lying quiet, moaning some either. They’re believing I’ve been raped and beaten, so I’ve got to start being difficult.

  Tell me what you have in mind dearie. I can only take what’s clearly laid out in your mind, not these germs of ideas, you know.

  Hmmph, Sesha realized they were turning her over again, so she let out a longer sigh and focused on her body. They were washing her between her legs, examining carefully again.

  “The smirch hath ceased fully; she be healing well. She is passing water, Beulah, sometimes no color, sometimes dark but I feel no blockage when palpating her organs. It doth worry me that she hath no moving of the bowels.”

  “Let us keep her foods soft, then. Chance the beating caused injury there and may take a while to heal.”

  Ah, the life of an alien life-form, Sesha snuggled into Shni’s arms. Nestrams don’t have solid movements, just dark or light waters. What they think is the aperture for that is part of our reproductive organs. To have a child,

  I know, dear,

  The outer penis first stimulates the woman’s eggs to come down, then the inner penis emerges and enters the second aperture. Sperm is released there to flood the egg-pocket, the orgasm causes the eggs to burst so all can be fertilized. Mothers can easily have six babies at one time…

  Quit preaching to the choir, Sesh, Shni chided, and tell me what you’re thinking of. I know you’re hiding it because it’s not a good idea.

  Sesha waited while the women mopped her up and all together turned her over onto the pile of bolsters again.

  I think I’m going to have to have light seizures, Gem, every so often and at irregular intervals. Can you stimulate those?

  The Realistic image sat up and pushed Sesha from him, eyes wide, the strip of fur from the top of his head to his tail standing straight up. Are you nuts? Mess with your brain? He was indignant, angry. That could really cause permanent damage, you know! A clear breaking of the Morals Act of Nestram, year 6713, when the law became generally available to all Beings!

  And has there ever been a problem such as this in recorded history? Sesha asked. With these circumstances?

  No…

  Well then, I’m already breaking laws, I’ll have to break more. I need you to cause light, irregularly timed seizures of differing lengths, especially when someone unexpected happens, whether I’m asleep or not. It’ll add to the story.

  ‘Xcret’ you, Sesha, but I’ll do it. You know when you’re tried and convicted, not only you will be mindwiped… I’ll be too. I’m not just a damn program, I have feelings and a life too! And then he fell silent, but Sesha knew he was still doing his job. She did feel bad. His program would be redone, which would make him a different person as well, but hey, all she could hope for was that it would be understood why she had to break the laws like this. There were 19 other lives depending on her! Shni laid back down and cuddled the woman into him. I’ll consider it.

  Now Sesha felt as something cool was lathered on her aching back, and it really did feel good, Sesha noticed. After getting all gooped up there and on every other open wound or bruise, they did up nightgown, laid her back down on many pillows to cushion her injuries and coaxed some kind of tea down her. Then they gently turned her onto her stomach, propped over a number of pillows and blankets to keep pressure off her back. It was already hard to keep the act up but she knew she must, and for several days; luckily she would sleep a lot still. It was vital to build her mystery so she could enthrall the group while figuring out the answer to her problem.

  I’ll still control your body for a while as you slowly wake up. When you’re unconscious again, it’ll do things on its own like dribble out your mouth and, Shni paused as Sesha wasn’t paying him attention.

  The women were putting a pad of crushed, dried leaves and mosses wrapped in cloth under her hips.

  You mean I have to – this was almost too much.

  Already have been dearest… but when you’re up, like now, I’ll do this for you. I know a favorite past-time is having other Beings bathe you, whether as part of Pleasure or not,

  But this is different! Now Sesha started to falter in her resolution in following through with the only plan she’d thought available to her. This was an aspect un-thought of when thinking it over, a sore point in the mind of the woman. It was one of her greatest fears, that of having Brain Failure, reduced to a figurine where she had to be completely tended to. Her Medical file had Termination Orders in any event where such a thing could occur.

  I’ll handle this too… don’t worry, when you need to void, I’ll stimulate it and you won’t be able to stop it from happening. But you owe me, Sesha!

  I know, my wonderful Gem, I know… thank you.

  Sesha continued to rise where she could hear on her own then sink back into the light coma; she was barely aware when the shift changed and the Physician left, the Reverend’s wife came in.

  “She moves some, sighs, moans and just wet again. The fish soup has stayed down well,” Florence was ready for sleep now. “Thy husband hath been pacing downstairs… be on guard, my wonderful niece.” They hugged and Beulah set her helpers to changing bandages.

  It was near midnight; Beulah was about to send her women to bed when the door opened.

  “Helpers, to the Infirmary. I shall send a Monitor when thou mayst return.” His tone was stern, as when he would preach the terrors of Hell. Beulah just nodded; she knew this was coming and wrong as it would be, the man would never see that.

  Sesha was rousing up a little when Shni warned her to quiet and had the computer lower her consciousness just a bit. She could hear, communicate with her Wrist Gem and feel, but reactions were not hers.

  “The Lord wishes me to examine her, wife.”

  “She is in no condition for that, husband.”

  “God has commanded it, woman. Obey.”

  Sesha heard something get set down and felt the warm, heavy coverlet being lifted off. The woman’s hands rolled her sideways – it was interpreted by the Gem as ‘unexpected’ and tossed the first seizure at them.

  “Wha – she is possessed?”

  “No, Most Holy Lord…” Beulah’s hand clamped down on her forehead, holding her as whimpers erupted from her patient’s throat, her other hand stroking Sesha’s cheeks as she made soothing noises. “As the Lakin slowly rises from the state near death, she had begun shaking at times. Thou saw it earlier this day. I believe her mind still thinks she is in danger, so she reacts thusly. Give it a minute,” and sure enough the shaking slowed and stopped, her breathing hiccupping for anoth
er minute before smoothing out.

  “She is past it. Sit her up and hold her. I will do the rest.”

  Sesha felt as she was gently pulled upright, she knew her body was being kept as if she were completely unable and flopped loosely until she was leaning against Beulah. Fingers that were clumsy undid the back of the gown and pulled it off her a bit roughly. Then his hands moved in, her outrage moved up and Shni clamped down on her reactions while they saw what would play out now.

  The Reverend started on her head, gently running his hands all over, probing the gash and small depression hard enough to make her yelp, if she were even a little more conscious. Down he moved, all around her face, then neck, across her shoulders and down to her breasts.

  Uh, Sesha, are you sure of this?

  No, I’m not… how’s the translation of this book they use so much, the flowery language, coming?

  General gist, if they argue it enough the speech becomes clearer and I can postulate. It’s your body being violated here; just let me know w-what you want to do.

  Are you losing power? Despite this unpermitted handling, the glitch alarmed her.

  Just a little. When you wake up more, have a reason to put your arm in one of those buckets of seawater and I’ll be better.

  Now the man took Sesha’s tiny breasts and tweaked her nipples once, twice, three times, and they rose of their own volition. The room was chilly, in Sesha’s estimation, and besides, what woman’s nipples wouldn’t react to this kind of stimulation unless she was dead?

  “Her skin is so soft, yet so blue and cold. See how she acts!”

  “The only way she wouldn’t react would be if she was dead, Most Holy Lord.” Beulah, mirroring Sesha’s thoughts, was just enough sarcastic for it to register, yet not be snide enough to be considered disobedient. “You know she has been badly beaten, husband. She has cuts and bruises on the insides of her thighs and on her buttocks, arms, wrists, ankles, toes and bosom. From what we saw in tending the lass, there is a good chance she was… ravaged at some point. She may take a long time to recover, if she doesn’t die first.”